Pair of Dome of the Rock Tiles

Pair of Dome of the Rock Tiles

These two hexagonal tiles are underglaze-painted with black, six-pointed stars surrounding central rosettes on a green ground. They would have formed part of a greater geometric pattern of wall tiles, aligned diagonally with triangular tiles of a different colour set in between.

Tiles of this type can be found adorning the walls of the Dome of the Rock, built in the late 7th century under the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. This Islamic shrine was modified several times over the centuries, and it was during the 16th century when the Ottoman Sultan Suleyman I restored the exterior that tiles such as these were added to the walls. For examples of these types of tiles in situ, see Millner, p. 121, fig. 4.3.